Closson Chase Vineyards
Closson Chase is a quality-driven winery that helped spearhead the birth of the Prince Edward County wine industry. Winemaker Keith Tyers uses centuries-old techniques and sustainable practices to create world-class wines from the highest quality pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot gris grapes.
An early advocate for sustainability, Closson Chase crafts fine wines that reflect each individual vintage, capturing the distinct qualities imparted by the soil and climatic variations of the year.
OUR HISTORY
Before its current renaissance as a wine and culinary destination, Prince Edward County was best known as an agricultural community. Closson Chase was just a bold idea when a group of intrepid wine industry pioneers rediscovered the region in the 1990s.
After two years spent analyzing County soils, they settled on a plot of land at the intersection of Closson and Chase Roads in Hillier Township. The site, approximately five kilometers inshore from Lake Ontario, had a perfect six-degree southern slope, good drainage, and gravelly calcareous soil on a limestone base—ideal for cool climate wines.
In 1998, Closson Chase Vineyards was born. The first commercial vintage was harvested in 2004, produced out of a century-old dairy barn originally owned by the Closson family and lovingly restored as the new winemaking facility. From then on, Closson Chase has been at the forefront of the Prince Edward County wine industry, producing award-winning chardonnay and pinot noir.
In 2015, founding partner Deborah Paskus retired from her role as winemaker and Keith Tyers took the lead, focusing on pinot noir while continuing the legacy of world-class chardonnay Closson Chase had become known for. Firmly believing that exceptional wine is produced in the vineyard, Keith has carried on the traditions of high-density planting, careful canopy management, and low yields while introducing sustainable practices like cover crop planting and rainwater collection. To further solidify Closson’s position as a leader in sustainability, the winery and estate vineyard was certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario in 2023.
